WTO denies China's appeal on car part tariffs ruling

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has confirmed a ruling against China’s import tariffs on car parts in response to complaints from the U.S., Europe and Canada. By denying China's appeal to the decision handed down in July, the WTO puts a deadline on China's compliance with the measure. Should China continue with its prohibited policy, it will face penalties by the international trade body.

The policy that gave rise to the conflict is China's minimum local content requirement of 60% for cars produced domestically. If the cars don’t meet this level then they receive the same import tariffs a car built overseas would be subjected to.

This is the first WTO ruling against China since it joined the global trade body in 2001, reports the Associated Press. The trade group's ruling now requires the Chinese government to match other international trade rules.

China claimed the rules were designed to prevent tax evasion by companies that import whole cars as spare parts to avoid tariffs on individual components. Opponents argue that the rule violated an earlier agreement made by China to open up its markets.

After a 'reasonable period of time' a new WTO panel will be convened to determine if China is in compliance or if it will face sanctions for failure to abide by the WTO ruling.